Chapter 4: Peace Talks at Camp David
"Hi," he says. She can hear the tiredness in his voice.
"Hi."
"Come to Camp David with me. Let's talk this out once and for all. Please." He is not sure if she will agree to go away to such an isolated place with him.
All she can do is nod her head. She turns and goes into her office to retrieve her purse and phone. As she walks back towards him in the hall, he extends his hand to her. She hesitates for a moment and then takes his hand. As their hands touch, they both inwardly they sigh.
They know this is the beginning of rebuilding their relationship. This is the start of something new.
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After a brief stop at Olivia's apartment so she could pack, they are on their way to Camp David. Neither speak as the limo whisks them away to the Presidential retreat. They hold hands briefly and exchange shy smiles, but they avoid talking, both afraid that the confines of the limo will not be able to contain the anger and hurt they know will emerge once they begin this long overdue conversation.
As she watches the landscape roll by, Olivia rubs her stomach subconsciously. Fitz watches her for a few moments and then joins his hand to hers.
"Do you want a boy or a girl?" he asks moving a little closer to her.
"I haven't really thought about it," she turns to face him as she answers. "Either would be fine as long as it is healthy."
"I want a little girl with your eyes and smile." He moves his hand from her stomach and caresses her cheek.
She pulls away slightly. Confusion and then anger clouds Fitz's face. He drops his hand and moves away from her. She knows that he thinks she is rejecting him.
"Fitz," she says reaching for his hand, "it's not a good idea to romanticize this trip to Camp David. We can't be distracted by our desire for one another. If we are going to move forward, we have to clear the air. We can't do that if we are sleeping together."
He knows she's right, but it doesn't lessen the sting of her pulling away. It seems she is always pulling away from him. He nods once in agreement and then turns to look out the window. They ride in silence the rest of the way.
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An hour later, they pull into the circular drive at Camp David. Fitz exits the limo and rushes to Olivia's side to assist her out of the car. He leads her into the main lodge.
"Are you hungry?" he asks.
"Not really, just tired. I would like to lay down for a little while. Which cabin am I in?"
He doesn't respond. She notices that the Secret Service agents are carrying her luggage along with Fitz's down the hall towards the master bedroom.
"I can't stay here with you," she says. She starts to pace around the room. "Maybe coming here alone with you was a mistake."
"Livvie, please calm down. I just want to be close to you. I know we have a lot to talk about, but it seems foolish to have you two miles down the road in a cabin when there is plenty of space here. We don't have to share a bed. You can have the master bedroom here on the main floor and I will take one of the guest rooms upstairs. I promise to give you all the space you need."
"Fitz . . . " she pleads.
"Damnit Olivia! Enough! I won't cross the threshold of your room okay! Why did you even agree to come here if you are going to keep pushing me away! Do you even want to work things out?"
She is slightly stunned by his anger. "What I want," she says tersely, "is to take a nap." She storms down the hall to the master bedroom. As she enters the room, she passes the agent who brought in their luggage.
"Excuse me, please move the President's things to one of the rooms upstairs. He will not be staying in this room."
"Yes ma'am," the agents says as he retrieves Fitz's luggage and exits the room.
Olivia closes and locks the door behind him. Too tired to undress, she walks over to the bed, kicks off her shoes and lays down fully clothed. Within moments she is fast asleep.
At the sound of Olivia locking the bedroom door, Fitz lets out an exasperated sigh. He directs the agent to take his luggage upstairs to the Blue Room and then dismisses him for the evening.
Feeling restless, Fitz pours himself a scotch and decides to go out on the deck. He sips his drink slowly while pacing back and forth. Finally, he sits down on one of the Adirondack chairs, stretching out his long legs. He is bone tired. He is scared that she will not come back to him. It's his own fault. He pushed her away and he did so by playing into her fears of just being his mistress. Why did he ever say those things to her? Why did he let his anger fester to this point? He quietly sobs and prays that he can win her back. He can't live without her.
He cries and prays until the sun dips below the horizon. He knows Olivia will not come out of her room tonight, so he retreats to his own room. As he drifts off to sleep he prays once again for her forgiveness.
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Olivia wakes the next morning to the wonderful smells of bacon and cinnamon. She does a long leisurely stretch before she gets out of bed. Retrieving her toiletry bag from her luggage, she pads to the en suite bathroom to shower and change.
As she emerges from the steamy bathroom in her robe there is a knock at her door.
"Livvie, are you awake?" Fitz calls out.
"Just a minute," she says as she tightens the belt to her robe. She walks over unlocks and opens the door. Her heart skips a beat when she sees him. He is dressed in dark blue pajama pants and a fitted Navy t-shirt. Why must he be so sexy, even in pajamas?
"I made breakfast. I figured you would be hungry since you didn't eat dinner last night. Will you join me?"
"Of course. Give me a minute to get dressed."
He hesitates briefly, it takes all of his self-control not to pick her up, toss her on the bed and make passionate love to her all day. Instead, he turns and walks back down the hallway. He smiles when he hears the bedroom door close, but she doesn't engage the lock. That's progress he thinks to himself.
She joins him in the kitchen a few minutes later. She is dressed in black yoga pants and a light pink t-shirt. Her hair hangs in loose curls around make-up free face. She is the most beautiful sight Fitz has ever seen.
Her mouth salivates as she eyes the breakfast feast that Fitz has prepared. The table is covered with dishes filled with bacon, French toast, scrambled eggs, fruit salad, and yogurt. A pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice and a carafe of coffee are also on the table.
"Are you plan on feeding an army?" she asks.
"Well you are eating for two."
"Yeah, two not twenty-two. Who is going to eat all of this?"
"I made extra for the Brian and Joe, the Secret Service agents, they deserve a hearty breakfast," he says with a laugh. "I thought it would be nice if we ate in the sunroom."
They pile food on their plates and carry them out to the sunroom. They eat in silence for a few moments.
"I'm sorry about yesterday," she says. "I was tired and not in the best of moods."
"I know this is hard on you Livvie, it's hard on me too, but if we are going to work through this you can't shut me out."
"Funny, isn't that what you have been doing to me for almost a year?" she replies snidely as she pushes her plate away. She gets up from the table and walks back to the kitchen for another glass of orange juice.
"I guess we aren't going to ease into this conversation," he says as he follows her into the kitchen.
The two agents are eating at the table when Olivia and Fitz enter obviously on the verge of an argument, they prepare to leave but Fitz stops them.
"Enjoy your breakfast guys, we will take this to another room," Fitz tells them as he grabs Olivia's hand and leads her through the house to the library. He closes the door softly behind them.
She walks over and sits down on couch. "Did you ever really love me?" she asks quietly.
"Again with this question? Why don't you believe I love you?" Fitz's voice was laced with anger.
"Because you walked away from me. You said horrible things to me. You called me your mistress and then you walked away!"
"Livvie I was hurt and angry. Finding out about Defiance devastated me."
"It was devastating for me too! I felt guilty every day hiding it from you."
"Then why did you do it?!" he yells.
"And there's the million dollar question! The one you should have asked me ten months ago instead of calling me your mistress and walking away! Instead of dragging me into a closet to violate me the first time we are in the same room together! If you had, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess right now!"
"Oh so this is my fault? I'm supposed to just forget that the one person I thought I could completely trust in this world didn't believe I could win the election on my own merits so she conspires to steal the election and hides it from me! I'm supposed to just act like nothing happened!"
"No, but you don't have to act like a petulant child who didn't get his way. Instead of talking to me about it you shut me out in the cruelest way. You used my fears against me. I would have NEVER done that to you! And you are wrong, I did believe in you. I DO believe in you!
You finally asked me why I did it. It wasn't for any other reason than my love for you. I never considered participating in the scheme until your father died. I saw how small he made you feel. I saw how his nasty words made you doubt yourself. The day of his funeral when you told me you wanted to be President, it was the first time that I really felt like you were doing this for you and not for your father or Mellie or Cyrus. I was afraid that if you lost the election, your father's last words to you would always haunt you. That it would break you! I couldn't let that happen. I loved you too much to see you broken by the words of a mean and hateful man. So I gave in and agreed to the plan the day before the election. You were never supposed to find out."
"Oh and that makes everything alright?! You would have lied to me forever if I Verna had not confessed on her deathbed. I am used to Cyrus and Mellie lying to me, but I expected more from you Liv! We were supposed to be a team!" His face is red with anger.
"Some team, you humiliated and abandoned me when I made a mistake! Do you see why I don't think you love me! You didn't ask me why I agreed with the plan, you just left! You let your hurt and anger destroy us!" She begins to cry.
He knows she is right. He let his anger, fear and drinking destroy the one relationship he needed and wanted the most. He gave up on her because he thought she had given up on him.
He goes and kneels before her. Looking into her tear filled eyes his heart breaks. He never meant to hurt her this way.
"Livvie, I am so sorry," he chokes out as tears fall from his eyes. "I never meant this to happen. I lost my way. Please forgive me. I don't want to be angry anymore. I don't want to hurt you anymore." He reaches out and wipes the tears from her cheeks. "Please say you will forgive me. I realize now that my life is nothing without you. I am nothing without you. Forgive me. I need you Livvie. I. LOVE. YOU. Let's start over right now, right here."
She stares into his blue eyes. She sees all the love and sorrow that his heart holds. She hears his declaration of love and she wants to forgive him and start over, but she is afraid. Afraid that they will never be out of the shadow of Defiance. Afraid she will always be his mistress.
He can read the conflict on her face. She wants to say yes, but he knows her fears. He has to convince her that she was never his mistress, but always the love of his life. That outside of his children, including the one growing in her womb, she is the most important person in his life and he would do anything to prove his undying love for her.
"Livvie are you going to say anything?"
"I can't do this again, Fitz," she whispers sadly shaking her head. She moves away from him and walks towards the door. "I have my child to think about now. I forgive you and hope you can forgive me too, but there can be no more us."
"Livvie, no! We can make this work. Just give me another chance."
"Make it work! How? You are married, you have children and you are the President of the United States. How will we make it work?"
"I honestly don't know right now. All I know is that you are running away from me again. If you stop running, we can figure out a way to make this work," he says as he walks towards her. When he reaches her, he puts his hands on either side of her waist and pulls her into him.
"We belong together. We have a sweet baby on the way. Say you'll try. Say you love me enough to put your fears aside and try again. Please Livvie."
She cups his face in her hands. Feeling his tears cascade over her fingers. Her mind is telling her to RUN! But her heart is begging her to STAY and FIGHT for the man she loves. She is conflicted. She needs time to think.
"I just need a little time Fitz. Time to figure out what is best for me and my baby. Can you give me that?" she asks.
"I can do that Livvie. But there are two things you should know. One, I am not going anywhere. No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you. And two, this," he says rubbing her stomach, "is OUR baby. Twice now you have referred to it as your baby. Make no mistake. Whatever you decide about us, I will be a part of this baby's life." He kisses her forehead and then leaves the room.
Olivia walks over to the window and leans against the frame and starts to rub her still flat stomach.
"What should we do little one?" she asks the baby.
Just like its mother, the baby doesn't have an answer to that question.
A/N: So was this the showdown you were wishing for? I hope I did it justice. I hate that on the show Olivia never really got a chance to explain the reason why she agreed to election rigging. Even though they talked in her hospital room, she didn't tell him it was because of Big Jerry death and Fitz finally wanting to be President more for himself than to please others. (At least that was my interpretation of the story.)
That's the beauty of FF. You can make the characters do anything you want them to. So what choice do you think Olivia will make? I'm not sure what I want her to do at this point. Lots of emotions and don't forget Mellie and Cyrus are still in the picture. Also, how long is Fitz prepared to wait for Olivia before he finally gives up?
Please keep sending me your comments. It makes me happy to know that you are enjoying my story.
I don't own Scandal, but if I did it would be all Olitz all the time!
